Medication/drug name/route of administration, dosage
Alprazolam is under the category of Benzodiazepines, which began being marketed in the early 1960's. Alprazolam is the generic version of Xanax, are made for oral administrated, which comes in .25, .05, 1 and 2mg. Street names for Xanax include Xannies, Xanbars, Handlebars, Bars, Z-bars, Totem Poles (due to the shape of the 2mg pill), Zanbar, Blue footballs (because of its oval shape and color), Upjohn (came from the pharmaceutical company now known as Pfizer) and the popular name Benzos. With the use of Benzodiazepines, there has been a direct connection with abuse and dependence (Dickson, et al. 1990). It began for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, a muscle relaxer, seizures and basically relax an individual in daily stress in life. Upjohn Company began selling alprazolam, calling it Xanax and using it for symptoms associated with anxiety. By 1988, Xanax was the number one selling benzodiazepine and later on was indicated for the use of treating social phobias, panic disorders, agoraphobia, schizophrenia and premenstrual symptom (Dickson, et al. 1990).
Type and Subtype of substance
This medication is intended to provide a safer alternative for Valium, however research and the number of addiction cases monitored throughout the years, suggest otherwise (Glod, 1992). According to the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services (2003), Xanax also brought out Xanax XR which was released as an extended release tablet for the treatment of panic disorder with our without agoraphobia. Recorded side effects of this medication include “sedation, memory impairment, speech difficulties, abnormal coordination and gait and decreased sexual drive which is common for ...
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Fatal incidents such as cardiac and respiratory arrest are more commonly known to occur in patients that have related, pre-existing conditions. Other high-risk populations includes adults with chronic renal failure, those who are frequently ill and children with cardiovascular instability (Pfizer New Zealand, 2012). Additionally, when midazolam is used for long period of time, patients may show symptoms of physical dependency that only worsens if administration is continued. However, if treatment is halted abruptly, the patient may suffer from symptoms of withdrawal, including, but not limited to: muscle pain, headaches, mood changes, hallucinations, anxiety and confusion.
In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act, that was years in the making was finally passed under President Roosevelt. This law reflected a sea change in medicine-- an unprecedented wave of regulations. No longer could drug companies have a secret formula and hide potentially toxic substances such as heroin under their patent. The law required drug companies to specify the ingredients of medications on the label. It also regulated the purity and dosage of substances. Not by mere coincidence was the law passed only about five years after Bayer, a German based drug company began selling the morphine derivative, heroin. Thought to be a safe, non-habit forming alternative to morphine, heroin quickly became the “cure-all drug” that was used to treat anything from coughs to restlessness. Yet, just as quickly as it became a household staple, many began to question the innocence of the substance. While the 1906 law had inherent weaknesses, it signaled the beginning of the end for “cure-all” drugs, such as opiate-filled “soothing syrups” that were used for infants. By tracing and evaluating various reports by doctors and investigative journalists on the medical use of heroin, it is clear that the desire for this legislative measure developed from an offshoot in the medical community-- a transformation that took doctors out from behind the curtain, and brought the public into a new era of awareness.
Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and abuse is founded greater in the prescription opiate based painkillers.
Over the years, my sister has been through various different medications whose intent was to control her seizure activity. A new type of treatment that her neurologist suggested trying is Valium (Diazepam). Valium is a drug that effects the limbic, thalamic and hypothalamic regions of the central nervous system. ((3).) Valium slows the central nervous system and is used to treat anxiety related disorders and conditions that cause severe muscle spasms and convulsions. ((4).) Valium is administered rectally. Liquid Valium is absorbed fast from the rectum. The effect should take place 5-15 minutes after the injection.((3).) Valium should not be used on a daily basis because it can cause withdraw and it also has many other side effects.
Credibility material: Its intake results in adverse medical conditions that are further exalted by its addiction properties that ensure a continued intake of the substance. The drug can be abused through multiple means and is medically recorded to produce short-term joy, energy , and other effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. This ultimately results in numerous psychiatric and social problems; factors that played a major role in its illegalization after multiple and widespread cases of its effects were reported in the country during the 1900s. In addition to this, the drug results in immediate euphoric effect, a property which the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2010) attributes to be the root cause for its increased po...
Cropper, Carol Marie. “A Cloud Over Antidepressants” Businessweek 3880 (2004): 112-113 Business Source Premeir. Web. 28 Jan. 2014
Prescription and pharmaceutical drug abuse is beginning to expand as a social issue within the United States because of the variety of drugs, their growing availability, and the social acceptance and peer pressure to uses them. Many in the workforce are suffering and failing at getting better due to the desperation driving their addiction.
"Restricting Medications for Mental Illness Harms Patients." Mental Illness. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such. Not to mention the fact that the doctors who prescribe these opioids often tend to misuse them as well. Abusing these prescribed drugs can “destroy dreams and abort great destinies," and end the possibility of the abuser to have a positive impact in the community.
Brecher, Edward M. (1972) Licit and Illicit Drugs; The Consumers Union Report on narcotics, stimulants, depressants, inhalants, Hallucinogens, and marijuana- including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. New York, 291-390
Manchikanti, Laxmaiah. “National Drug Control Policy and Prescription Drug Abuse: Facts and Fallacies.” Pain Physician Journal 10 (May 2011): 399-424. Print.
Therapy can mean many different things from relaxation therapy to group therapy or even seeing a psychologist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatment plans for patients dealing with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy deals with the patient’s problems, and helping them find different ways to cope with their situations. They help change negative thoughts into more supportive thoughts and answers. If a patient can realize what activates their anxiety they will be able to recognize when they need to talk to someone or even take their medications as prescribed. Promoting resilience is another way to help with patients cope with anxiety. “Resilience is the quality of being hardy or stress resistant.” (Karen M. Burke, 2011) Nurses or even family members can help older patients with anxiety by supporting their ADL’s, and that is encouraging resilience. The most common medications used to treat anxiety are benzodiazepines and sedative hypnotics. Benzodiazepines have a rapid onset and help react to the central nervous system. The most common side effects of benzodiazepines are sedation, weakness, lethargy, dizziness, and a decreased in organization. The most common benzodiazepines prescribed are Xanax, klonopin, valium, and Ativan. Sedative-hypnotic agents have a more sedative effect on the mind and help treat insomnia. Side effects include sedation, drowsiness, and dizziness. Most
Another growing fad in the United States is the abuse of prescription drugs. The abuse is being done by not only adults but by teens. The most current trend today is the misuse of cough syrups and prescription medications to produce a “high.” Other medications abused today are stimulants (Ritalin), and benzodiazepines (Xanax). Health Watch (2004) state girls tend to lean towards the medi...
"Oxycodone." CESAR (Center for Substance Abuse Research). 2 May 2005. Web. 23 June 2010. .